In a Years-Long Fight, the Illinois Environmental Justice Movement Gets a Win
Key takeaways
- A bill expanding the state’s regulatory obligations over industrial air polluters in environmental justice communities passed the state legislature last week and is expected to go into effect at the start of next year.
- It also allows the agency to consider an applicant’s past environmental violations when approving permits, and to enact stricter requirements for air monitoring and pollution prevention.
- For Jen Walling, chief executive officer of the Illinois Environmental Council, this legislation has been a long time coming.
Why this matters: environmental and climate reporting with long-term consequences.
June 3, 2026 Share This Article Republish. A view of factories, sorting facilities and recycling plants along the Calumet River in Chicago’s Southeast Side. Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/The Washington Post via Getty Images Related Illinois Weighs Early Warning System For Pesticide Spraying Near Parks, Schools Replacing Toxic Lead Pipes Could Drive Job Creation in Illinois, Report Finds ICE Raids in Chicago Spotlight the Link Between Immigrant Rights and Environmental Justice Share This Article Republish Most Popular EPA Rollbacks Could Raise AC, Refrigeration Costs Despite Promise of Lower Prices Scientists Outplant Experimental ‘Flonduran’ Corals in Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park Colorado River Faces ‘Devastating Consequences’ If Another Dry Winter Lands, Experts Warn After years of fighting to curb toxic pollution in communities of color, Illinois activists are celebrating a step forward.
A bill expanding the state’s regulatory obligations over industrial air polluters in environmental justice communities passed the state legislature last week and is expected to go into effect at the start of next year.
The bill amends the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and will require the state’s Environmental Protection Agency to consider cumulative pollution and other burdens when evaluating certain air emission permits for construction. It also allows the agency to consider an applicant’s past environmental violations when approving permits, and to enact stricter requirements for air monitoring and pollution prevention.